Theatre of the oppressed and the fight for social justice

Jana Sanskriti (JS) Center for Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) was the first exponent in India. Today, the center is considered one of the most important reference points for the global Theatre of the Oppressed community. of the Oppressed. The Theatre of the Oppressed is a school of theater first conceived by the Brazilian theorist and theater practitioner Augusto Boal. In TO, the oppressed speak, act and express their social will. Jana Sanskriti ́s theater teams reach thousands of people every month, with aesthetically polished theater and hard-hitting questions about the reality around us. Jana Sanskriti Theater does not offer solutions - the attempt is to find a solution, with the help of the "spect-actors" (audience members who intervene during the forum theater sessions). Passive spectators then become engaged actors. This exercise suggests step-by-step ways of liberation from this oppression in real life. Since Jana Sanskriti was founded in 1985, it has been seen over the years that the experience of spect acting has motivated people to become active outside the theater as well. A journey from acting to activism. "Spect-acting is now a proven means of creating a strong community of active and responsible citizens in various parts of India. Jana Sanskriti ́s participatory theater plays a crucial role in changing social norms.

Sanjoy Ganguly was active in communist politics as a student. Disillusioned with its centralist tendencies, he left the party in search of a political culture of dialog and democracy. In the early 1980s, he began working in the theater in rural Bengal. His encounter years later with Augusto Boal and the Theatre of the Oppressed, coupled with his own passionate commitment to creating a more just and equal society, led him to found Jana Sanskriti(JS), an independent organization dedicated to using theater to raise awareness and empower the communities it serves. With more than thirty active theater teams (including 9 all-women teams) affiliated with the group, Jana Sanskriti is now the largest organization of its kind in India.
Ganguly's philosophy of theater is based on the fact that every human being is essentially intellectual and this is mostly unexpressed. He believes that theater can manifest this capacity by bringing intellectual power to the stage, breaking through passivity and transforming the audience into "spect-activists".
He has refused to take partisan political positions and has initiated and supported community action throughout his journey.

JS has an outstanding record of working with women and children and has successfully helped people across a wide area. As a result of their 30+ years of work, citizens have formed local committees in many areas to identify needs (education, economic, social e.g.: Provision of resources, combating illegal alcohol production, supporting land rights negotiations, etc.) and have been able to achieve significant improvements in these areas.
The use of performance methodology has enabled JS to work across age, gender, caste and religious boundaries and engage people from all categories. JS has also successfully turned housewives in rural Bengal into actors and activists. With its aesthetically structured plays, JS reaches out to nearly 200,000 people through 30 satellite teams and opens the door to the world of the mind for people living on the margins of society. Ganguly's use of theater beyond a problem-solving session to develop a critical understanding of issues affecting people's lives is a clearer approach to understanding theater as activism.
In Purulia, among tribals and underprivileged people, Jana Sanskriti has highlighted child marriage and child trafficking through forum theater plays in collaboration with schools, social services and the police and with the active participation of local communities.

Key achievements and impact of the work

Sanjoy's work and commitment to its goals over a very long period of time is testament to its strength of vision and practical ability to implement it. The ethos of his company is strongly egalitarian and the organization and practice is a collaborative endeavour that values the co-creativity of all participants and enables them to recognize and develop their own artistic and intellectual abilities. The quality of the theater work is high and includes a rich, imaginative blend of indigenous forms (e.g. dance and music) and a consistent focus on current practical issues that affect the daily lives of performers and audiences. He is a thorough, sensitive and empathetic trainer of performers who receives great support and loyalty from those he works with. He has shown extreme determination, courage and acumen in negotiating difficult political and social contexts and aims to get communities to take responsibility for their own processes and find ways to bring about change. He has had to develop the skills of a theater maker and trainer, activist, community worker, educator, negotiator and inspirational leader (with no prior formal training). His personal lifestyle remains very simple; he has not acquired any of the things that many compromise.